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Hundreds attend Holocaust survivor's presentation

Holocaust survivor Madga Brown asked the audience during her
presentation March 15 to leave with three ideals: protect your
freedom, think before you hate, and stand up against deniers.

Brown, 89, spoke about her survival to a crowd of more than 600
people in the Kirkhof Centerduring a Women's History
Month event. She is a great aunt of Samantha Murray, Grand Valley
student and president of Grand Valley's Hillel chapter.

In 1944, Brown and her family were taken from their home in Hungary
to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. Yet, for
Brown, her journey began before that.

Her family experienced an immediate change in their lives before they
were taken to Poland. She lived in a designated area called the
“ghetto” and more than 40 people were forced to live in her house.

“One day, I was a regular child, enjoying my daily life,” Brown said.
“What happens when the pendulum swings and your happy days are severed?”

Then on Brown’s 17th birthday, she and her family were escorted into
a crowded train box car. Each car held hundreds of people who traveled
for three days with no food, drink, or any idea of where they were going.

“You cannot fathom what thirst is,” Brown said. “Thirst so powerful
that you forget your physical pain, you forget your stress, and the
only thing you can focus on is a single sip of water.”

Their destination was the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. When
they arrived, men and women were separated. This was the last time
Brown saw many members of her family.

A year later in March 1945, Brown and her group were sent on a march
to Buchenwald. After escaping, Brown and the group hid in a nearby
barn, lying in piles of hay for more than a day. Two American Armed
Forces soldiers discovered Brown and her group, leading to their
liberation. She moved to the U.S. in 1946.

Brown was united with her brother, Miklos Brown, in 1962. For 40
years, Brown worked in a physician's office as a certified medical
assistant. She is an active member and past president of the American
Association of Medical Assistants, Illinois Society. She is also a
member of the Speaker's Bureau of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and
Education Center. Learn Brown’s complete story at www.magdabrown.com.

Robin Hutchings, treasurer of Hillel at Grand Valley, said it was an
honor to host Brown on campus. Hutchings praised Brown’s audience and
said their presence was significant.

The event was organized by Grand Valley's Women's Center and Hillel
chapter. Hillel International is a Jewish campus organization.